The annual United Nations Climate Change Conference is underway in Dubai, with more than 70,000 participants—including heads of state, business leaders, climate scientists, Indigenous people, and others—coming together to find common ground in accelerating the transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels.
This year’s summit, known as COP28, is not without controversy. It is being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the fifth largest oil producer in the world, and the president of the conference is Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, who heads Abu Dhabi’s national oil company.
The talks also come as 2023 is expected to be the planet’s warmest year on record, leading many climatologists to warn that time is running out on preventing the Earth from reaching a tipping point.
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Students, faculty at UN climate talks
What I am watching for at COP28
A University of Miami delegation of students and faculty members is in the UAE for the historic conference, attending talks, participating on panels, and presenting their own climate-related research and clinical work. Keep abreast of their activities as they file regular dispatches from Dubai, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at the two-week summit.
Dec. 4, 2023
Ensuring equity in nature-based solutions to climate change
Vanessa Forbes-Pateman, Ph.D. candidate in the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy
When University of Miami professor Daniel Suman, who is attending COP28 as a member of the Panama delegation, invited me and other members of my team to present our research on nature-based solutions to sea level rise, I could not have been more ecstatic. It was an invaluable opportunity to discuss my work on how Miami seeks to operationalize nature-based solutions to sea level rise through its policy landscape.
My presentation could not have been timelier, as nature-based strategies are being presented as the next big solution to the complex challenges of climate change, whether it be king tides, powerful hurricanes, or daytime flooding. It is timely, considering that a huge part of COP28 negotiations on climate finance include technology transfer for mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.
However, urban renovations such as the ones South Florida seeks to implement are new to the U.S. They have been more readily implemented in the European Union.
For Florida, the ability to use nature-based interventions rests with how policies are framed. The state faces policy problems stemming from a lack of policy cohesion. One of the big challenges we’ve seen addressed throughout COP28 is that of greening the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone. So, my research critically analyzes whether South Florida is including equity in its nature-based policies.
During my presentation at the COP28 Panama Pavilion, I reviewed several of the new and developing nature-based solutions to climate change that are in Florida’s arsenal. I also explained the contradictory nature of its legal, regulatory, and policy landscape, and how those contradictions might affect traditionally underserved communities that face climate challenges.
My research in this area affords me the opportunity to study and watch these issues play out across several levels within different communities.
Dec. 4, 2023
Nature-based solutions to sea level rise
By Alyssa Huffman, School of Law student
Today, my colleagues and I gave a presentation on nature-based solutions to sea level rise at the Panama Pavilion at COP28. I specifically focused on stormwater resilience and the potential for green infrastructure to alleviate pressure on existing stormwater infrastructure as sea level rise exacerbates flooding in Miami. My discussion stemmed from my work as a legal intern with the University of Miami School of Law’s Environmental Justice Clinic. The clinic focuses on local environmental justice advocacy throughout Miami and is made up of teams that address various issues such as housing justice, food justice, heat, and stormwater.
I am part of the stormwater team. We tackle the issue of stormwater pollution in Miami with a coalition consisting of the Environmental Justice Clinic, Miami Waterkeeper, Everglades Law Center, and PEER Group. The coalition aims to ensure compliance with federal regulatory stormwater permitting requirements by educating officials about requirements, engaging communities in governance, and, when necessary, litigating against those not in compliance.
The movement towards green infrastructure is an important prong in the fight against stormwater pollution. It provides communities with enhanced resilience as we adapt to our changing climate. We must ensure that green infrastructure is implemented in an equitable manner that considers the voices and thoughts of the communities most impacted by stormwater. As such, my talk at the Panama Pavilion focused on how we can ensure a just stormwater infrastructure transition. I also highlighted some of the accomplishments of the Environmental Justice Clinic.
Dec. 3, 2023
Protesters brave extreme heat to make their voices heard
Vanessa Forbes-Pateman, Ph.D. candidate in the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy
There is a certain irony in having COP28 in Dubai, where we are experiencing extreme heat every day. But what is more concerning is that conference support staff, alongside regular workers in Dubai, continue to labor overtime in the heat. Today, we received word that anyone protesting in support of any cause should not do so during midday hours due to the excessive heat. While the advisory seemed to be issued for the well-being of protestors, I feel that, more than likely, the heat warning was a way to suppress any form of dissent, such as the demonstration I witnessed only a short distance from the UAE pavilion.
Dec. 3, 2023
COP28 leads to historic local partnerships
Alyssa Huffman, School of Law student
Michael Berkowitz, executive director of the University of Miami’s Climate Resilience Academy, is not attending COP28 solely for the negotiations. He also is focused on the connections he can make while attending outside networking events and panels. Indeed, COP provides a unique opportunity for climate leaders from across the world to convene and connect on a common goal. Michael invited me to attend a reception for the creation of a historic partnership: The Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership.
This initiative, headed by governments in Catalonia and California, brings together 14 local governments from several different continents that share similar climates to collaborate on local climate resilience efforts.
Deanne Criswell, who is the 12th administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, spoke about the importance of local and subnational efforts in fighting climate change. So, while international negotiations continue at Expo City, local governments also are making waves throughout Dubai.
Dec. 1, 2023
Human rights and climate justice underscore COP28 climate negotiations
Alyssa Huffman, School of Law student
On the same day that a historic agreement was reached on the Global Loss and Damage Fund, a different kind of event was happening mere buildings away from where the historic pledge was crafted. I stood amongst a large crowd listening to Indigenous speakers call for a phase out of fossil fuels and a spot at the table for the Global South’s voice to be heard.
The purpose of the COP is not only to negotiate agreements under the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change); in fact, that’s only a small portion of the vast number of events going on throughout this conference. This year, Indigenous and underrepresented groups are making their voices heard by hosting pavilions, staging climate-related art exhibitions, and weighing in on the ongoing negotiations. More than ever, there is a recognition that human rights and equity are needed to reach climate justice.
